15 best team communications tools for businesses in 2021

Photo by Samantha Borges

Originally Posted On: 15 best team communications tools for businesses in 2021 – Clariti

As teams get increasingly used to working remote, digital communication tools become an important part of the discussion for any business. People are looking at accomplishing so much more digitally today, including planning Zoom baby showers for coworkers, Netflix watch parties or remote Happy Hours. If you are doing a double take – no, you are not hallucinating. People do talk of a whole lot of stuff at work, besides work But I digress.

For small and medium businesses, who are not mired by burdens of legacy enterprise IT requirement but focus exclusively on employee productivity and being able to move nimbly, deploying the right set of communication tools is critical.

Here is our recommendation for communication tools every business should consider as they make their selection this new year. Each tool has its unique set of strengths. Some are new entrants, some well-established players. But as you wade through this list and make your selection, remember that you are probably best served by judging what you think will work best for your business and how your team is structured, than by simply considering large brand names or how long a tool has been around.

Clariti is a business productivity web app that brings your emails, chats, call, to-dos, documents…in one app and automatically links related items in a “SmartFolder”. SmartFolders add topic-centric organization to your communications so you are never lost or waste time searching for information. SmartFolders in Clariti allows you to easily see the big picture and make informed decisions. Clariti is ideal for small and medium businesses to boost team collaboration and drive productivity.

Microsoft Teams, the hub for team collaboration in Microsoft 365, integrates the people, content, and tools your team needs to be more engaged and effective. You can Chat, Meet, Call, Collaborate, Share screen and files.

Missive redesigned the inbox with a business-first collaborative experience in mind. It is a team inbox and chat tool that empowers teams to truly collaborate around email, SMS, WhatsApp, Twitter, Messenger and live chat. With Missive, teams focus on growing their business.

Front powers the heart of business — the meaningful connections between teams and customers that lead to lasting relationships. Bringing email and apps together in a collaborative customer communication platform, Front drives business impact by scaling the natural conversations that create customers for life.

Basecamp is the all-in-one toolkit for working remotely. Basecamp is more than just a project management tool — it’s a better way to work. Teams that switch to Basecamp are more productive and better organized. They communicate better and require fewer meetings. And they’re far more efficient than before.

FreeConferenceCall provides HD audio conferencing, screen sharing and video conferencing with up to 1000 participants. Each account includes free online meetings packed with intuitive features: Host up to 1,000 video participants; Access switch presenter, remote control and drawing tools; Record audio-visual presentations for live broadcast; Chat privately or with all participants.

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars.

Cisco Webex is the ultimate team collaboration platform for messaging, file-sharing, whiteboarding, and getting stuff done.

Combining messaging with file sharing and tasks, Fleep has everything you need to coordinate your team’s work from idea to execution. Conversations are at the heart of Fleep. Set them up around projects, teams or any specific topics to stay connected and discuss ideas. Highlight any decisions or plans on the conversation’s Pinboard and create tasks to coordinate execution.

Freshdesk delivers the best omnichannel customer service using One platform with everything you need to serve customers and grow your business.

Hiver is the world’s 1st Gmail-based Helpdesk that delivers fast and empathetic customer service right from Gmail – without having to learn and adapt to another tool.

Work is evolving, so are workspaces. Zoho Workplace unifies and centralizes your team’s workspace, simplifies file storage, and streamlines team communication. Zoho Workplace provides context, ensures continuity, enables convenience and fosters collaboration.

Chatwork is a group chat app for business. Secure messaging, video chat, task management and file sharing. Chatwork makes collaboration easy. Conversations, tasks, and information will always be at the palm of your hand with Chatwork. Working collaboratively with your team can make the task fun and it creates a more functional and balanced company.

Slack  is a new way to communicate with your team. It’s faster, better organized, and more secure than email. Unlike email, conversations in Slack channels are easy to follow. And they’re more than conversations — you can make calls, share files, and even connect with other apps.

Google Workspace is an integrated workspace that’s simple to use and brings all collaboration tools like Gmail, Calendar, Meet, Chat, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, and more to one place.